Summer At The Abbey
by lordkenyon
Summary: Charlie Blair and her friends, who happen to be the sons and daughters of some of the most famous people of the Wizarding World, suddenly appear inside a strange blue box that's bigger on the inside and manned by a bowtied man. Where do the Doctor and his new companions land? England, 1924, right outside Downton Abbey, site of a large dinner party and a murder most foul.
1. Beginnings

_Hogwarts Castle, 2024_

It was a beautiful day in the Scottish countryside as five students walked along the banks of an expansive lake. There was a breeze that whipped through the girls' hair and crashed waves against the embankment. The sun was shining brightly above them, casting long shadows. It was nearly time for the students to return to the grand castle that lay behind them.

One of the students, a blonde boy, was holding hands with a pretty girl with ginger hair. Their names were Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley. Another student, with darker skin and a pierced ear, was walking behind them, rolling his eyes occasionally at the things being said in front of him. His name was Fred Weasley. Walking on either side of Fred were a boy and girl. The girl had short, dark hair and the hint of a smile on her face. The boy had shaggy dark hair and an intelligent, bookish look to him. She was Charlie Blair and he was Albus Potter.

These five students were currently in their seventh year of Hogwarts and were very excited to be done with school and enter the real world. With only a few months until their NEWTS, their wishes would be here before they realized it. The students had become friends by the end of their first year, which was an entertaining story in its own right. But not nearly as exciting as the story of when the met the Doctor.

 _Downton Abbey, 1924_

Daisy was running frantically through the kitchen, trying to do what Mrs. Patmore had ordered. Sometimes it was just so hard to remember everything, let alone actually performing the tasks.

"Daisy!" called Mrs. Patmore. "When you're finished with that, start putting the icing on the cake!"

"Yes Mrs. Patmore," said Daisy. She finished soaking the fish with sauce and gave it off to a kitchen maid, before wiping her hands on her apron and heading over to Mrs. Patmore. On her way, she bumped into Ivy, who sighed exasperatedly.

Ivy was mixing together the batter for a desert that Alfred had recommended to Mrs. Patmore. Mrs. Patmore had figured that a dinner party with lots of different options was a good time to try something new. Ivy looked up when Mrs. Hughes came bustling over to speak to Mrs. Patmore. She tried to overhear what they were saying.

"We've got more people coming," said Mrs. Hughes. "A couple of last minute RSVPs."

"We'll be fine," said Mrs. Patmore. "So long as the oven doesn't break this time..."

"Ay, there'll be no Mrs. Levinson to fix things this time," Mrs. Hughes agreed. She turned around and headed into the catacombs beneath the Abbey. She smiled at Anna and Mr. Bates as they walked by. Time really does heal all wounds, she thought to herself.

Mrs. Hughes knocked on Mr. Carson's door before letting herself in. Mr. Carson looked up and asked what she needed.

"I just wanted to remind you, Mr. Carson, that you need to go up to Lord and Lady Grantham to go over the arrangements for the guests as they arrive. You told me to remind you at two o'clock," said Mrs. Hughes.

"Is it that time already?" said Mr. Carson in disbelief.

"It appears so," said Mrs. Hughes, with a smile on her lips.

"Do you know where his Lordship is?" asked Mr. Carson.

Mrs Hughes paused for a moment. "Last I heard, the family's in the library."

Mr. Carson thanked Mrs. Hughes and they exited his office. At the stairs, the two parted, Mr. Carson going up to check in with Lord Grantham and Mrs. Hughes to collect a few maids to inspect the guest rooms.

Humming to himself as he walked up the stairs, he greeted the servants that walked past him. One must always be friendly for a productive and safe environment.

When he reached the door to the library, he knocked firmly but not too obnoxiously. He entered and bowed deeply to the assorted family members. There was Lord and Lady Grantham, as well as Lady Mary and Branson.

"Can I help you Carson?" asked Lord Grantham.

"Yes, my lord, you asked me to come up at two o'clock to discuss the arrangements for the arrival of the guests," said Mr. Carson.

"So I did. I'd nearly forgotten," said Lord Grantham, smiling at his mistake.

"No worries, my lord," responded Mr. Carson at once.

"Here, come over to the desk. I've written some instructions down and you might have questions," said Lady Grantham, standing up.

"Certainly," said Mr. Carson.

As Mr. Carson walked over to Lady Grantham, Tom turned to Lady Mary. "Where's Edith?"

"She's feeling under the weather and she wanted to be well rested for tonight," replied Lady Mary.

"Smart woman," said Tom.

"She can be at times," allowed Lady Mary. "But never tell her that or her ego might blow up."

 _The Planet Rosa Rosa (Andromeda Galaxy), 3194_

The Eleventh Doctor was running. But that's not the point of this story, so we'll skip to when he jumped into the TARDIS with the doors firmly shut. He started pressing buttons wildly as explosions went off all around the TARDIS, yelling at enemies that were not actually in the TARDIS.

The TARDIS began shaking and making noises. The Doctor yelled "Geronimo!" as the sounds of explosions faded away. And then something went wrong. The TARDIS went wibbly and started making new noises. It shook even more violently and smoke came out of the console. It started filling up the TARDIS.

The Doctor, after a horrible coughing noise, shout out, "Extractor fans on!"

When the smoke cleared and had stopped shaking there were five very frightened students all standing around the console.

The Doctor looked at them, pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began to scan them. He looked at them again and pronounced, "Hello people who have met Harry Potter before. How may I help you?"


	2. The TARDIS

_The Time Vortex_

"How do you know my father's name?" asked Albus at once.

The Doctor threw him a look. "Who doesn't know your father's name?"

Albus had no response to that so he settled for looking down at his arm, suddenly self conscious of Charlie holding on tightly to it. She immediately let go and turned to the Doctor. "How did you know we'd met Harry Potter?"

The Doctor twirled his sonic screwdriver in front of him. "Same DNA code as your father. The sonic recognized it. I made a logical deduction that as his son you would've met him. And these are obviously friends of yours, so they might've met him too."

The five students looked dumbstruck, before Fred addressed the elephant in the room. "Er, how do you have Harry's DNA code?"

Nodding approvingly, the Doctor spun around and started pressing buttons. "Finally! A good question!"

"Well?" pressed Albus.

"Story for another time," countered the Doctor cheerfully. "I have to get you home now before I forget to. And then you'll be stuck here."

"And where is here?" asked Scorpius.

"The TARDIS. My spacecraft. Kind of. Not really. If it helps. It shouldn't though," responded the Doctor helpfully. "It's more of a police box though."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a little -" started Charlie before being cut off by the Doctor.

"Off? Mental? Wibbly? Not all there? Missing some of my marbles? Loco? Cray cray?" said the Doctor before taking a breath and smiling. "They never really stop."

Charlie laughed a bit and glanced at Albus and the others before saying, "I like you."

The Doctor smiled. "I'm glad. I like when people like me. It's such a nice feeling."

"But," interrupted Rose,speaking for the first time, "who are you?"

"Well that's just the million galleon question, isn't it?" the Doctor said, smirking. "I'm the Doctor."

The students nodded at the answer and the Doctor looked disappointed. "What? No confused looks? No follow up questions?"

"Why?" asked Albus.

"The Doctor?" said he. "Not the most normal name…"

"Mate, his name is Albus," said Scorpius. "Mine is Scorpius and my Dad's is Draco. We're used to weird names."

"Ugh, that's right," pouted the Doctor. "I forgot that you wizards are sooo creative with your names."

He brightened up and surveyed the students again. "So you're Albus and Scorpius, but who are the rest of you?"

"Rose Weasley," said Rose.

"Ah, a Weasley. Lovely family. I do love a ginger," said the Doctor.

"Charlie Blair," said Charlie.

"Can't say I'm familiar with that family," mused the Doctor.

"I'm muggleborn," said Charlie. "And I'm an orphan."

The Doctor looked apologetic at his tactless remark. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," said Charlie, looking uncomfortable. "I never knew them. Besides, I have the Weasleys and Potters to look after me!"

"Two wonderful families. Beautiful people," the Doctor said. He turned to Fred. "And who is this fine young man?"

He blushed and answered, "I'm Fred Weasley."

"Another Weasley! Good lord, this family multiplies like rabbits…" the Doctor muttered to himself, under his breath. "I'll have to make a mental note to speak to your father about birth control."

"What was that last bit?" asked Albus sharply.

"Nothing!" said the Doctor, with wide-eyed innocence. "Just the musings of an old man."

Rose snorted. "You can't be more than 30."

"I'm actually 1200ish years old, young lady," said the Doctor, putting an emphasis on young.

Looking doubtful, Scorpius said, "Bullshit."

The Doctor shrugged. "That's your problem."

"And you are Albus Potter and Scorpius…?" the Doctor trailed off.

"Malfoy."

"Of course," said the Doctor, hitting himself on the head. "Son of Draco. Weird name. Blonde hair. How can you not be a Malfoy?"

"That's your problem."

The Doctor looked delighted. "Oh you are good with your words. How refreshing."

"So this is your kind of spacecraft then, Doctor?" asked Charlie. "Where are we ?"

Ignoring the first question, the Doctor went over to the console and grabbed the screen. He motioned for the students to come over. "We are currently orbiting Jupiter, Earth year 3434. It's a fine time to visit Jupiter, you know. It's the first time the Galactic Olympics are held here. Barely beat out Adipose 1 to host it. Almost more exciting than actual games. The Shadow Proclamation actually recruited me to mediate between the two planets. I never knew blobs of fat could be that violent."

"What the fuck," breathed Fred. "Who are you?"

The Doctor looked puzzled. "I'm the Doctor. I told you that."

Seeing their blank looks, it clicked in the Doctor's mind. "Oh, I see. I'm a pisces."

All five of their brows furrowed. It was something the Doctor had never seen before and it amused him.

Time passed as the students continued to ponder the strange man in front of them. Then Albus asked the relevant question. "What are you?"

"I'm a Time Lord," the Doctor said as if it were obvious.

Rose gasped. "I've read about you! I thought Time Lords were just legend. Unsubstantiated rumors without evidence, even!"

"You've heard of them then?" asked Charlie.

"Yeah," said Rose. "People from another world who came here and adopted the ways of humans. Eventually, they intermingled on a more intimate level with the humans and created a new species - Magi."

"And this is a theory?" asked Scorpius.

Rose nodded. "I thought just by a few crazies. But I guess they're correct."

She turned to the Doctor, expecting an answer. He looked very impressed. "Those 'crazies' are correct. Wizards and witches are descended from Time Lords."

"So you're saying I'm part alien?" inquired Fred skeptically.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. You have alien blood in you," responded the Doctor.

"Neat," muttered Charlie.

The Doctor smiled at his new friends. He was sad that he would have to return them home. They were good fun but they were practically children. It would be very irresponsible of him.

Fortunately for the Doctor, he was very irresponsible so he turned to the students. "Do you want to go on an adventure?"


	3. The Abbey

"I hate wearing dresses," grumbled Charlie as she stepped out of the TARDIS. "I feel like a proper woman."

Stepping out beside her, Fred gave her an up and down. "It's a nice dress. Better than what the Doctor forced me into."

Charlie examined his tailcoat. "It's certainly fashionable."

"I wouldn't be caught dead in this thing," said Fred. "Thank god all these people are dead in our time. I'll never have to face them again."

Giggling, Charlie turned back to look inside the TARDIS. "Are you lot coming or not?"

"Some last minute fashion scares!" yelled back the Doctor. "Scorpius is refusing to put on dress shoes!"

"You got that right!" yelled Scorpius. "Those things are death traps!"

Suddenly, he let out a yelp and there was a loud crash. Rose yelled out, "I got him! Al, hold him down and I'll put the shoes on him."

Charlie laughed and closed the door. She turned to Fred who was surveying the mansion in front of them. It was an extremely large square with a towering structure coming out of the middle. It was a beautiful building.

"What did the Doctor say this place was?" asked Charlie.

"Downton Abbey, home of Lord and Lady Grantham, our hosts," answered Fred. "Do you know how we're getting into this party?"

"When I asked, he just laughed and said, 'please.' It's impossible to get an answer out of that man," said Charlie.

"Quite mysterious," murmured Fred, looking thoughtful.

"Snap out of it Fred," said Charlie sharply. She looked at his face worriedly.

He glanced at her. "Why?"

"You know why," she sighed.

He also sighed dejectedly. "It's just not fair is it… You meet someone and it turns out he's 1200 years old."

"Typical teenager drama," said Charlie, smiling.

"Do you think if he was younger?" mused Fred.

Her smile faded. "But he isn't. And you don't even know if he's gay…"

"With that fashion sense?" scoffed Fred. "Bowtie? Tweed jacket? Suspenders? Please. Trust the gaydar!"

"Gaydar? What's that?" asked the Doctor as he stepped out, followed by Rose, Scorpius (in full dress clothes), and Albus.

Fred blushed, hoping the Doctor hadn't heard what he had said. Fortunately, Charlie had her wits about her. "It's what Fred calls his owl."

"Hmmmm… I like that name. I'll have to write it down somewhere," said the Doctor. He looked around before realizing that he was outside and there wouldn't be a pen just laying on the ground.

"So how did you get us invited?" asked Charlie again.

"Please," said the Doctor. He looked up at the students who were staring intently at him. "We have more important things to discuss. Let's go over our identities again."

He motioned for them to begin and Albus took the lead. "My name is Albus Potter and I am the heir to the Potter fortune. I am from Godric's Hollow and my father is known by the local community, but he rarely leaves the area."

"I am Albus's fiance, Charlie," said she. "My father is business partners with my fiance's father. Albus and I have known each other since birth and we recently decided that it would be beneficial to our fortunes if we wed."

"Perfect," said the Doctor nodding. "That'll allow you two to not be all gross and coupley. All these lords and ladies will understand that cover. They all married each other for political purposes."

"Is that really how things were done back then?" asked Rose, with her nose crinkled.

"Yes," said the Doctor. "But sometimes they do marry for love. Like Lady Sybil and Tom. But that's beside the point. Your identity?"

Rose grinned. "I'm Rose Weasley. Fiance of Scorpius Malfoy. I'm from an old family from up north."

"And you Scorpius?" asked the Doctor.

"I'm a Malfoy. I'm rich as fuck," he said.

"Crude, but true," said the Doctor. "And that'll be enough because the Malfoys are quite well known in these parts. Even purebloods knew it was important to have powerful friends in both worlds."

"And I believe Fred has the most fun identity?" said the Doctor.

Fred's identity was harder to come up with because of his darker skin. He would be completely out of place amongst the pale nobility of England.

"I will be playing the part of Fred Baldwin. I'm the son of an American poet, but I've lived with my mother in England for my entire life. My father and I try to correspond monthly," said Fred.

"Excellent," said the Doctor. "And who am I?"

"You're Doctor Smith. You have a PhD from Oxford and you're a researcher for the government. You have close ties with the royal family," said Rose.

"You bet I do," muttered the Doctor to himself. "She's not the virgin queen anymore."

The students looked shocked. Albus was the first to recover. "You mean? You… and Queen Elizabeth? You… and her…?"

"Good ol' Bess," the Doctor said, reminiscing. "I was a different man back then…"

Fred looked disappointed so Charlie sent him a sympathetic smile. He shrugged; it was no big deal, it wasn't as if he was in love with him or anything. The Doctor was just bloody good looking.

"Who's that coming over here?" asked Scorpius, looking over at the Abbey.

A young woman with short black hair and a severe but beautiful face was coming over to them. She had on a simple but elegant dress and carried herself with grace and style. The Doctor smiled happily. "That is Lady Mary."

When she reached the group, she made a beeline for the Doctor. She looked him up and down before slapping him across his face.

The students pulled out their wands and pointed them threateningly at the woman. But she was ignoring them and glaring angrily at the Doctor.

"Mary? What the hell was that for?" yelped the Doctor, waving his arms for the students to put down their wands.

"It's Lady Mary, Doctor," said the woman, putting derision into his name. "And that's for dropping me of here without any explanation."

"Sorry about that," said the Doctor meekly. "I thought the TARDIS was going to blow up and you would be safer here."

"You dropped me off in Scotland," said Mary. Her voice was calm and cool but her eyes betrayed her angry emotions. "I had to telephone Anna and she had to arrange transport. Thank heavens she knew some of the truth or it could have been much worse."

"Well sorry about that," said the Doctor. "You know how the old girl can be."

"I'm not finished," snapped Mary.

"Oh fuck," muttered Fred. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

"I beg your pardon?" said Mary, turning her icy gaze towards Fred. "Vulgarity has no place in a civilized house like Downton. I suggest you keep that language away from the Dowager Countess."

She turned her fury back onto the Doctor as Fred glanced at Albus whose jaw was dropped. Fred couldn't help but smile at Albus's new found crush. He also couldn't help but glance at Charlie, who was looking at Mary with respect and admiration. Go girl power!

"Listen Mary, I'm sorry for not coming back yet. I was going to but things happened," said the Doctor.

"Like what?" asked Mary in a bored voice.

"The Time Lords are coming back," the Doctor said triumphantly.

Mary's cold demeanor faltered for a second. "You found a way? Didn't you?"

"Not just me," said the Doctor, smiling. "Well yes. In a roundabout way it was just me. Doesn't feel like it though…"

"He still does this then?" asked Mary of the students.

"Only known him for a few hours and he's done it at least five times," said Scorpius cautiously.

"A few hours?" repeated Mary. "Is this their inaugural trip?"

"What better way than to visit an old friend?" responded the Doctor.

Mary smiled, officially breaking the cold demeanor of her arrival. "I've missed you.

"I've missed you too," said the Doctor, very glad for the shouting to have ended. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry I haven't come back until now.

Mary waved her arm tiredly. "Water under the bridge, old friend. You're here now. I apologize for my behavior; it was most uncivilized of me."

She turned to Rose, Scorpius, Albus, Charlie and Fred. "You must think of me as such a horrid hostess. I will have to rectify this over the coming days. Welcome to Downton!"


	4. Lady Mary

Thomas, the under butler, was walking along the banister overlooking the grand staircase. He nodded politely at the many members of the nobility walking by. It would be quite the party. Apparently Lady Edith had to have a visit from Dr. Clarkson to address her nerves.

He started to head to the servant's staircase before noticing a darker skinned young man. The man was admiring a particular painting of a Crawley ancestor. Thomas was practically shocked.

The man glanced over at Thomas and beckoned him over. "Who is this a painting of?"

"This is the second Earl of Grantham sir," said Thomas.

"I'm not a sir," said the man, laughing. "Just Fred."

"You are a guest of this house and I will address you with respect," said Thomas stiffly. "Will there be anything else sir?"

Fred looked disappointed and said, "No that'll be all. Thank you…?"

"Thomas, sir. The under butler," answered Thomas.

"Thank you, Thomas," said Fred, then turning around and walking over to the room he would be sharing with another member of his group.

Thomas watched as Fred closed the door behind him. He shook his head and made his way down the servant's staircase. When he reached the servant's dining hall, he was surprised to see another member of Fred's group talking to the servants quite candidly. He noticed Jimmy sitting a little way down from the conversationalists and walked over. "What's he doing down here?"

"I don't know," answered Jimmy. "He came down and said he was exploring. Then he started telling all kinds of stories."

"Like what?" asked Thomas.

"There was one about Shakespeare and witches who were actually from another world," said Jimmy. "Quite mad really."

"I can't wait to see Carson's face when he sees him down here," muttered Thomas.

At that moment, Mr. Carson did in fact walk in. He immediately looked disgruntled at seeing staff doing nothing, but his face lit up, as much as his face could, when he saw Doctor Smith. He strode forward to greet him. "Ah, Doctor it's good to see you again."

"It is indeed, Mr. Carson," said Doctor Smith. "How long has it been?"

"Probably about a year, I'd say," said Mr. Carson. "It was right around when Lady Mary left on her tour of the continent."

Doctor Smith smiled fondly. "I'd forgotten she'd taken a sabbatical. I take it she's back now though?"

Thomas narrowed his eyes. He had seen Doctor Smith and his friends talking to Lady Mary right before they arrived. Why was he pretending he hadn't seen Lady Mary in a year?

He zoned out of the conversation, still pondering the mystery. It certainly was a strange circumstance. He started paying attention again as the Doctor made his farewells.

"Is that the time?" yelped the Doctor, looking down at his wrist where there was no watch. "I've got to run!"

He lept up and dashed out of the dining hall, presumably up to his room to change for dinner. Thomas shook his head at Jimmy. "How did that man get an invite?"

Mr. Carson overheard and tutted. "He's a friend of the family. He helped Lord Grantham with a situation a couple of years ago. Something about some tenants who went missing. Doctor Smith has connections with the royal family and he was able to arrange for some members of Scotland Yard to come help."

"That's all very impressive," said Thomas. "But why was he down here?"

"He's an eccentric man," said Mr. Carson. "I find it's best to indulge him. I dread to see him angry. He looks docile, but there's a fighting man under there."

Thomas nodded. He was satisfied with that answer. It still didn't explain why he had lied about Lady Mary though. The game was afoot.

Charlie and Rose were examining themselves in the full length mirror. Rose sighed heavily. "Why do I have to pretend to be engaged to Scorpius? It's so awkward…"

Charlie smirked. "Is it though? We're in seventh year… Weren't you planning on moving in together after we graduated?"

"Moving in together is one thing," said Rose. "Getting engaged is so… grown up and mature."

"Scorpius mature?" said Charlie, with an eyebrow raised. "Have you met him?"

"Several times," responded Rose dryly. "But enough about mine and Scorpius's tale of star crossed lovers. You and Al are engaged?"

Laughing, Charlie shook her head. "Maybe this'll give your dear cousin a hint."

"I doubt it. Men are so… so…"

"Thick headed and ignorant?" said a voice from behind them.

Both girls turned around quickly to see Lady Mary standing behind them. She raised one hand. "My apologies. I didn't mean to startle you."

"No worries," said Charlie with a smile.

"So where's the Doctor taking you next?" asked Lady Mary, sitting down on a bed primly.

The two girls looked at each other mystified. "We haven't even thought about it."

"Just be careful," warned Lady Mary, looking at both of them in turn. "I know how brilliant traveling with the Doctor can be. But remember, you're just one of many friends that he's had. Many forget that and get hurt. He's a wonderful man but he's older than old and from another world. He will never reciprocate any feelings."

Charlie started laughing loudly. Rose looked concernedly at her and Lady Mary sat patiently with her hands in her lap. When he laughing had subsided to a mere giggle, Lady Mary looked at her. 'Did I say something amusing?"

"Feelings for the Doctor?" snorted Charlie. "With that bowtie and ridiculous flop of hair?"

Rose began to laugh as well. "Never!"

Lady Mary laughed for the first time. "When you put it like that, I can't help but agree. Though some people do like his fashion sense…"

When the three stopped laughing, Rose turned to Lady Mary. "Did you ever…"

She trailed off, but Lady Mary knew where she was heading. "Did I ever have feelings for the Doctor?"

Her smile faded and she stared thoughtfully into the distance. "I don't know… Maybe… I met him at such a low point in my life. It was my anniversary of my wedding to my late husband. We were having a small family get together and the Doctor was there, a guest of papa's. He was so blissfully unaware of the depression I was in and he made me laugh. He let me forget."

Rose and Charlie smiled sadly at Lady Mary. They hadn't realized that she was a widow who had lost her husband. Charlie spoke up, "And then he took you with him."

"He took me on an adventure that night," said Mary, a far away look in her eyes. "He took me to see the Abbey, a thousand years in the future. It brought me so much hope for my son and my family. We would live on. I even got to meet descendents of mine."

She paused, taking a breath. "And then he took me home and the world came crashing down again. I couldn't deal with life at Downton after seeing what was out there. The Doctor could see how upset I was, so he told me to make arrangements for me to go on a trip to the continent. I kissed my son goodbye and took a boat to France and he was there waiting for me."

"How long did you two travel together for?" asked Rose.

"It's so hard to tell," murmured Lady Mary. "I was only gone from Downton for a month or so, but I'd say I was with him for more than a year of actual time."

She glanced at a clock in the corner on the room. "Goodness, is that the time? It's nearly time to go mingle."

She made no movement to get up, clearly preferring this conversation to the meaningless mingling she would have to do instead. She turned to them. "So, to get back to my original point, though I doubt you'll need it, be careful around the Doctor."

Charlie gave a very unladylike snort. "I'd be more concerned about Fred than us."

Rose gave her a scandalized look and elbowed her in the side. She gave her a look as if to say, "Hey we're not in the 21st Century anymore!"

Lady Mary merely smiled. "You'll be surprised that we here at Downton are much more open minded that you'd expect."

There was a knock at the door which made all three of them jump. Lady Mary stood up and called, "Come in!"

A nanny came in, holding a small boy. "I thought you might've wanted to see young master George before dinner, Lady Mary."

"Thank you nanny," said Lady Mary. "I'll ring for you when I'm ready to go down."

The nanny handed George to Lady Mary and left. Lady Mary held her son close to her, before turning to to the girls. "This is George Crawley, heir presumptive to Lord Grantham and future owner of this estate."

Scorpius, Albus, and Fred made their way down the grand staircase to where the guests of Lord and Lady Grantham were mingling with each other and making small talk. Waiters were walking around with trays of finger food and Thomas the under butler was standing behind a table with various wines and spirits.

"Where's the Doctor?" asked Albus of Scorpius, who was sharing a room with him.

"Beats me. He disappeared a while ago," said Scorpius. "Said something about exploring the catacombs or some nonsense."

When they reached the bottom, they made a beeline for the table of wine. Fred smiled at Thomas as he surveyed the available drinks. "I'll take a glass of that red wine there."

"Yes sir," said Thomas, his eyes were unreadable.

"You keep an eye out for me, Thomas. Make sure I don't drink too much," said Fred.

Thomas looked at him coldly. "Certainly."

Scorpius and Albus pulled Fred away from the under butler, who was staring after them. When they reached a safe distance, Albus turned to Fred and hissed, "What are you doing?"

"Having some fun," said Fred, before downing his entire glass of wine.

"It's the 1920s," said Albus. "You have to be more careful here."

Fred shook his head. "No. I can see it in his eyes. The pain there. The fear of being accepted. He's like me."

Scorpius looked doubtful. "Fred…"

"Oh, bugger off," muttered Fred, before stalking away towards Rose who he had just spotted.


	5. Interruptions at Dinner

Rose looked concernedly at her cousin. He was throwing back wine like there was no tomorrow. He saw her glancing at him and he just smiled, before beckoning over another waiter.

She looked around discreetly, before pulling out her wand and pointing it at the glass. As Fred took a sip, he gagged and put down the glass. "What'd you do to it?"

"I put a charm on your tongue that makes it think that alcohol tastes like mud," she said sweetly. "Dinner hasn't even started yet and you're already pissed."

She pulled a pill out of her handbag and gave it to him. "Take this. It'll clear your head."

He nodded and took the pill. She turned away and came face to face with a relatively pretty woman, with reddish hair in a wavy bob. The woman looked defeated and exhausted, but carried herself with pride and dignity.

"Mary tells me you're guests of her's?" she questioned.

"Yes…?" Rose started to say.

"Ah, have you two not been properly introduced?" asked the Doctor as he stuck his way between the two.

The woman shook her head, smiling slightly at the eccentric Doctor. He beamed back and cleared his throat. "Lady Edith, may I present Rose Weasley to you. And Ms. Weasley, may I present to you, Lady Edith, daughter of Lord and Lady Grantham."

"It's an honor," said Rose sincerely. "Your family is so kind to have invited us."

"Think nothing of it. There's so many people here, what's a couple more?" she said bluntly, before wandering off without a glance back.

Rose made a face and turned to the Doctor. "Is she always like that?"

"She's gotten worse these last couple of years. Her lover, Michael Gregson disappeared in Germany without leaving any trace behind," the Doctor said sadly.

"In Germany?" repeated Rose sharply, grabbing the Doctor's arm. "In the 1920s? You don't think it could be the Nazis?"

The Doctor nodded. "That's what my investigations tell me. Unfortunately, I have to stay far away from Nazi Germany. I've been there too many times. I might cross my own time stream."

"And that wouldn't be good?"

"Not very," answered the Doctor. "Oh look, here comes the Dowager Countess!"

Rose turned to see an elderly woman making her way over. "Doctor, have I met her before? She looks terribly familiar…"

Before the Dowager Countess could reach them, Mr. Carson came out of the dining room and announced that dinner was to be served. The Doctor and Rose made their way over to the dining room and sat with their companions. Fred looked more alert and was staring at the under butler intently, who was ignoring him. Albus and Scorpius were whispering about something, but stopped when they saw Rose.

"Where's Charlie?" asked Rose.

Scorpius inclined his chin over to where Charlie was sitting next to Lady Grantham, deep in conversation. The Doctor looked impressed. "How'd she manage that? Quite the accomplishment."

The three boys shrugged, though Albus looked a little put out. He sat down next to him and patted him on the shoulder. "Young love!"

Unfortunately, Albus was unable to respond because he there was a sudden scream. Everyone looked around confusedly. Lord Grantham stood up and went over to Mr. Carson who looked very forbidding. Mr. Carson nodded and left the room, presumably to find out what the noise was.

"Sorry about that," said Lord Grantham, as he made his way back to his seat. "Some kitchen maid probably someone she's sweet on with someone else!"

The guests laughed, put at ease by Lord Grantham's good humor. Suddenly, there was another noise, this time coming from inside the room.

"Sorry!" said the Doctor, pulling out a funky little widget. "It's my thing that goes ding when there's stuff!"

"You're lucky I like you, Doctor Smith," called Lord Grantham from across the table. He turned to his wife and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and stood up.

"If I could have your attention please," Lady Grantham announced. The room quietened and she continued. "I would like to thank all of you for being here. It's an honor to have such good friends here with us for these next couple of days. I hope you all have a splendid time and enjoy the Abbey -"

She was interrupted by heavy footsteps outside the door. The door opened and Mr. Carson came in, his face impassive though he was moving quite quickly. He went straight to Lord Grantham, ignoring all the eyes on him. He whispered something furiously in Grantham's ear. At once, Lord Grantham jumped up, his eyes blazing. He followed Mr. Carson out the door. The Doctor also jumped up and followed them out.

When he caught up with them they were talking hurriedly in hushed voices.

"-here, in the Abbey?" Lord Grantham said.

"Down in the kitchens," replied Mr. Carson.

"Who?" asked Lord Grantham.

"One of the kitchen maids, Lisa," said Mr. Carson.

"We can't panic the guests, Carson. But we can't keep this a secret," said Lord Grantham. He looked over at the Doctor, noticing him for the first time. "Doctor, go back to the dining room."

"There's been a murder hasn't there?" guessed the Doctor shrewdly.

Lord Grantham and Mr. Carson shared a glance. "Yes, but do not tell any of the guests yet. There's no need to alarm them if the girl is simply unconscious."

"My lord," said Mr. Carson, "The girl is most definitely dead. She was cold and had not been seen for the last three hours."

"Perhaps I can be of some help," said the Doctor.

"No, I think it's best if you go back to the dining room and enjoy the meal," said Lord Grantham.

The Doctor pulled an ID card out of his pocket. "I'm a member of Torchwood, a detective agency affiliated with Scotland Yard. I think it'd be best if I led the investigation."

Lord Grantham looked shocked. "So that's how you were able to get those men out here a couple of years ago!"

"Something like that," allowed the Doctor.

"And your friends?" asked Mr. Carson.

"They're my staff," answered the Doctor. "We came here to test out their new identities - to make sure that they work."

"Do you want us to telephone the police," asked Lord Grantham.

"No," said the Doctor sharply. "The killer must think that they're safe. We need to come up with a story as to what the scream was and why Carson came running in."

He rubbed his hands together. "And then I'll get ready to work."


	6. Morphic Residue

The Doctor stood over the dead girl's body, looking down at it. Charlie and Albus stood by his side and Mr. Carson stood a couple of meters behind them. The Doctor had sent Rose and Scorpius to calm down the other guests and try to continue the party, while Fred was passed out is his room.

"Brilliant!" muttered the Doctor. "I knew this trip would be interesting!"

Charlie elbowed him in the ribs. "Keep the excitement to a minimum."

"Oh right," said the Doctor looking slightly ashamed.

He knelt down over the body and pulled a magnifying glass out of his jacket pocket. He handed it to Albus. "Look for clues."

"Where?"

The Doctor threw his hands up in exasperation. "I don't know. That's what Sherlock always says! This isn't exactly my forte!"

Mr. Carson grumbled behind them. "I'm sorry, Doctor, what did you say?"

"I said, 'could you fetch Lady Mary for me?'" said the Doctor. "I need her to explain something to me."

"As you wish, Doctor Smith," said Mr. Carson, turning around and exiting the pantry.

"So, clues?" asked Albus.

"Yes, look for blood or fingerprints. Or crime stuff," answered the Doctor.

Charlie knelt down by the Doctor as he started to examine the girl. He ran his hands behind the girl's head, looking for some kind of wound. He frowned. "No mark on the head."

He began to run his hands across the girl's sides, feeling for a wound. He looked up and shook his head. "Nothing on her sides."

The Doctor started to brush his hands over the girl's front. Charlie reached out and slapped his wrist. "Maybe I should…?"

"Why?" asked the Doctor confusedly.

She hesitated. "Never mind. Carry on."

The Doctor shot her a look before searching the girl's front for any indication of her death. "Nothing."

"Let's turn her over," suggested Charlie, pulling out her wand. She pointed it at the girl and said, " _Rotasio_!"

The girl lifted up and rotated, before landing softly on her stomach. The Doctor nodded approvingly and continued to examine the body. Frustratedly, he looked up again. "Nothing."

"So there's no indication of her death?" Charlie said.

The Doctor nodded. "Whatever killed her didn't leave a mark. I can't think of anything from this time period that could."

"What about poison?" asked Charlie.

"There would have been some indication around her mouth. A blemish or a smell," said the Doctor.

Charlie inhaled sharply. "The killing curse could do this. If there's a wizard or a witch here…"

The Doctor pondered this for a second. "Possibly… But why murder a kitchen maid?"

A sudden exclamation from Albus brought him out of his thoughts. Charlie and the Doctor ran over to the other side of the large pantry where Albus was on the ground, looking at something with the magnifying glass. The Doctor took it from Albus and looked down.

"Plot twist!" yelped the Doctor, clapping his hands. He pulled a vial and Q-tip out of his pocket and swabbed some type of gooey substance into the vial. He jumped up and ran out of the pantry, yelling back at them. "I need to run these to the TARDIS and run some tests. Go up to your rooms. I'll catch up with you in the morning!"

A silence enveloped the room and Albus and Charlie eyed each other. The latter was the first to break the silence. "I suppose, uh, we should go back up to our rooms now."

"We could," said Albus, his face unreadable. "Or we could stay down here for a while. Talk for a little bit."

"That'd be nice," said Charlie. "Except for that dead body laying on the ground right there."

Albus looked put out. "Oh right."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the pantry, almost knocking over Lady Mary. He let go of Charlie's hand immediately. "Oh! Apologies!"

"It's nothing," said Lady Mary. "Is the Doctor still in there?"

"No, he just ran off back to the TARDIS to run tests on something," answered Charlie. "Sorry."

Lady Mary rolled her eyes. "I look forward to the day when someone teaches that man some manners. The universe would be a much better place."

Albus smiled. "Ah, but then he would lose most of his charm."

Laughing good naturedly, Lady Mary replied, "That's very true." She paused. "I suppose I'd better go up now before Anna starts to worry. All the guests are about to go up to bed and I suggest you do the same. It'll be a long day tomorrow - most days with the Doctor are."

She nodded to them and turned around. Albus looked to Charlie. "Do you want to go up?"

"I suppose we should," said Charlie reluctantly. "Perhaps another time."

Charlie reached out to Albus's hand and squeezed it. He squeezed back and they started to walk to the stairs, still holding hands.

"You've got to be kidding me," moaned the Doctor. "Why is it always morphic residue… I hate shapeshifters…"

He sighed and started to walk towards the doors of the TARDIS. He patted the wall and said, "I don't know when the last time I slept somewhere else was. Must've been when I was staying with the Ponds…" The Doctor smiled to himself. "Oh Amelia…"

A gong broke the Doctor out of his melancholy. Standing in front of the Doctor was man in servant's clothes. He looked very familiar to the Doctor.

"What the hell?" breathed the man.

"Do you like it?" asked the Doctor awkwardly, not quite sure what the social norm was in a situation like this.

"It's… it's… bigger on the inside," the man whispered.

The Doctor beamed. "I like that part." He looked hopeful, hoping that the awkward situation had been resolved and the man was satisfied.

The man frowned. "Who are you?"

The Doctor's hopeful look faded and he sighed. Clearly, it wouldn't be that easy. Then, suddenly, the identity of the man struck the Doctor. He began to smile. Some might have described it as wicked, others as excited, and others as devilish. "So, Thomas, ever wanted to visit the future?'


	7. Good Cop, Bad Cop

Rose and Charlie woke up to a knocking on their door. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Charlie got up to open the door. The moment she opened it, Scorpius, Al, and Fred walked through.

"Have you seen the Doctor?" asked Scorpius.

"No," yawned Charlie. "We just woke up."

"Are you sure?" pressed Albus.

"Yes," snapped Rose. "Now leave us alone." She grabbed her wand and cast a spell, presumably to shut out everyone's voices.

Scorpius ignored her. "He didn't come back to our room last night."

"So?" asked Charlie. "He probably slept in the TARDIS."

"That's what we thought," said Albus, "So we went outside to find it."

Charlie realized where this was going. "And it wasn't there?"

"Bingo," said Albus dryly.

Pulling out her wand, Charlie cast the counterspell at Rose. "You'll want to hear this."

They quickly filled Rose in who looked shocked. "So he just left us here?"

"He's a nutter," muttered Fred. He winced at the sound of his voice and shut his eyes. Charlie couldn't help but smirk.

"Little bit too much to drink last night?" inquired Rose, also smirking.

"Fuck off," growled Fred.

"What did I say about vulgarity?" said Lady Mary imperiously as she entered the room.

Fred stammered, trying to reply, but Lady Mary merely ignored him and addressed the others. "The Doctor left me a note. He says that had an urgent engagement and we should continue without him."

"Continue what?" asked Rose.

"We - that is you - are going to question everyone to find out where everyone was between five and six o'clock last night. The Doctor was very insistent that this time frame is is when she died," said Lady Mary. "I cannot assist you in this task, for fear of arousing suspicion."

"Simple enough," said Al. "Shall we do it in groups? Myself, Charlie, and Scorp?'

Fred put his arm around Rose. "Looks like it's just me and my favorite cousin in the whole wide world!"

Albus punched him lightly on the shoulder before turning to Lady Mary. "Did the Doctor say anything else?"

Lady Mary nodded. "Yes. He said that the substance he found was 'morphic residue.' According to him, 'morphic residue' is secreted when a creature changes shape or form."

"The murderer's an alien?" sighed Charlie.

Smiling slightly, Lady Mary nodded. "Of course it is. And it's a shapeshifter."

"Shit," groaned Fred. "How the fuck are we supposed to find a shapeshifting alien?

The others looked to Lady Mary to see how she would react. She merely shook her head and left the room, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Where were you between five and six o'clock?" questioned Rose.

"This is preposterous," grumbled Mr. Carson who was sitting in front of her. "I cannot believe that I am actually under investigation for this egregious crime."

"Why so defensive?" pressed Rose. "Are you hiding something?"

"I never -" he started, before collecting himself. "I will answer your questions, but under protest."

"Duly noted," she said sarcastically. She turned to Fred who was standing next to her, looking bored. "Take notes."

"Why?"

"Because I bloody well said so!" she snarled. Fred gave her a lengthy look before grabbing a paper and pen. He began scribbling away furiously.

Mr. Carson looked between the feisty ginger glaring at him and the other ginger writing angrily. "I was all over the place yesterday afternoon, trying to get ready for the dinner party. I believe at five o'clock, I was down in my pantry preparing some paperwork. And then, I went up to the library to meet with the family for some last minute planning and I was there until a quarter of six. Lord and Lady Grantham were there, along with Lady Mary and Lady Edith. They can corroborate my presence. I then went into the dining room to inspect the china and I was there until six. James and Michael were there with me."

"Did you get that?" asked Rose of Fred. He nodded and she turned back to Mr. Carson. "That'll be all, Mr. Carson. You may leave."

Mr. Carson got up and left, grumbling to himself about the moral decay of society. As soon as he was out of earshot, Rose spun on her heel towards Fred. "Our good cop, bad cop routine seemed to work."

"I think we frightened him," agreed Fred.

"Say," said Rose, changing the subject. "Where's that Thomas bloke? I haven't seen him at all today."

"I dunno," replied Fred. "I asked one of the maids and she said that he left before everyone woke up."

"Without telling anyone?" asked Rose skeptically. "Listen Fred, I know that you're soft -"

"I know that makes him a suspect," said Fred. He looked away from Rose. "Who's next on the list?"

Rose pulled a crumpled paper out of her pocket. "You and I just have to do Lord Grantham. He should be down here shortly."

In precisely two minutes, Lord Grantham arrived and Rose and Fred stood up. Fred got behind a chair and motioned for him to sit there. When he sat down, Rose and Fred turned away from him and began whispering furiously, occasionally glancing towards Lord Grantham.

Lord Grantham started fidgeting slightly, as his situation was very nerve racking. Fortunately, Rose and Fred turned to him soon enough. "You are free to go Lord Grantham."

"I beg your pardon?" he barked. "You make me sit here, in humiliation, as you confer and then you tell me to go? The nerve!"

Rose peered at him. "Why are you getting so worked up about this? Do you have something you'd wish to tell us?"

"Of course not!" said Lord Grantham.

"Then you may go," said Fred, his brow furrowed. "We have no questions for you."

"But that's unthorough - I could be the murderer and I'm just lying," said Lord Grantham.

"Are you the murderer?" asked Fred sharply, jotting something down on his paper.

"What are you writing down?

"Notes."

"Did you just write down that I'm the murderer? That's preposterous! Why would I kill my own servant?"

"That's the question isn't it?" said Rose eagerly. "We do need to establish motive."

Lord Grantham looked between Rose and Fred. "You two are mad men."

"Insults… When… Under… Pressure… Recommended… Action… Send… To… Siberia…" muttered Fred aloud as he wrote down on his paper.

"I'm leaving," snapped Lord Grantham. "If you will not take this seriously, I will conduct my own investigation."

He got up and started to walk toward the exit. When he reached the threshold, Rose called out. "Wait, Lord Grantham! I have a question!"

Lord Grantham threw up his arms in protest and turned around exasperatedly. "What, pray tell?"

"Where were you between five and six yesterday evening?" asked Rose.

"In the library with Lady Grantham. And Ladies Mary and Edith."

Fred nodded. "Thank you Lord Grantham. We'll let you know when we find out more."

Lord Grantham simply waved a tired hand and left the room. The two waited patiently for the next person to enter the room. It was Mr. Bates.

Rose looked meaningfully at Fred, indicating that there was something special about this man. Fred cleared his throat and attacked the problem head on. "So it says here that you were arrested for the murder of your wife?"

"Ex wife," said Mr. Bates sharply. "I was not married to that woman."

"Noted," nodded Fred. "And you are now married to Anna Bates?"

"That is correct."

"Were you familiar with the deceased?" asked Rose.

Mr. Bates shook his head. "Lisa and I never interacted much. I'm his lordship's valet and she was a kitchen maid. Our paths never crossed much during the day and at dinner, we sat at opposite ends. Anna was friendly with her. But she's friendly with everyone."

"And where were you at the time of the murder?" questioned Rose.

"I'd say I was in the servant's hall. His lordship was already dressed for the evening, so I didn't have much to do," explained Mr. Bates. "I had off until everyone retired for the evening."

"Thank you Mr. Bates," said Fred. "You may leave now."

He stood up and made for the door. Before he opened it, he turned to the two cousins. "Catch the son of the bitch who did this."

Rose nodded solemnly. "We will."

He left and Fred and Rose leaned closer together and started to examine the notes they had taken. Rose gasped when she noticed something and jumped up. She grabbed Fred's arm tightly. "I need to speak with the others immediately!"


	8. The Murder Files

_The Murder Files Page One taken by Fred Weasley with the assistance of Rose Weasley_

 _ **Michael**_

 _5:00-5:30 - entrance hall with various staff, multiple witnesses_

 _5:30-5:45- claims to be in servant's hall, no witnesses_

 _5:45-6:00 - dining room with Carson and James_

 _he's kinda cute 3 but he and dead girl had sordid romance so MOTIVE_

 _ **Beatrice**_

 _5:30 - 6:00 - helping Edith do hair_

 _gurl, that hair was horrible_

 _The Murder Files Page Three taken by Fred Weasley with the assistance of Rose Weasley_

 ** _Ivy_**

 _5:00 - 6:00 - with Daisy and Mrs. Patmore - lol she looks like Nana Weasley_

 _THIS ACCENT THO_

 ** _Mr. Grumpypants_**

 _haha i'm not writing anything and he has no idea. i wonder if he knows what i want to do to thomas. probably would give the old man a heart attack. hmmm… i wonder where thomas is…._

 _5:00 - paperwork shit_

 _5:15-5:45 - with Lord and Lady Grantham, Edith, and Mary_

 _5:45-6:00 - dining room with footman_

 ** _Lord Grantham_**

 _5:00 - 6:00 - with Lady Grantham, Edith, and Mary (and Carson)_

 _lol he's getting pissed off_

"These are the worst notes I have ever read," said Charlie flatly. "Half of these are just you fantasizing about blokes…"

"Never mind that," broke in Scorpius. "What did you find Rose?"

She pointed to two testimonies on separate pages: Mr. Carson and Beatrice. "Both of them saw Lady Edith at the same time in two completely different places."

"But that's impossible," pointed out Albus.

"Give the man a medal," said Rose dryly. "That's the point. The Doctor said that the murderer was a shapeshifting alien."

"And a shapeshifting alien could be in two places at once," replied Albus, catching on.

"Exactly," said Rose. "We need to meet with Mr. Carson and Beatrice again to corroborate their stories."

"Their stories match up," said Fred, as Beatrice exited the room "What do we do?"

"I don't know," admitted Rose. "We can't just walk up to Edith and say you have an evil twin walking around, can we?"

"Assuming we knew which one was the real one," said Scorpius, standing up.

"We need to tell Lady Mary," said Fred. "She might know what to do."

"Can we trust her?" asked Charlie. "It's her sister who's an alien."

The other four considered this. Albus cautiously spoke up. "I think we have to trust her. She's our only link to the Doctor and the only one who will believe us if we accuse someone of being an alien."

"Good point," muttered Fred. "We don't want to institutionalize ourselves. Never good for business."

Charlie got to her feet to go over to the wall and pull down on a piece of rope. Quickly, a servant popped in, waiting for instructions.

"Could you fetch Lady Mary for us?" asked Charlie.

"At once, Ms. Blair," said the servant, nodding respectfully. As soon as the servant closed the door behind her, Charlie turned to the others. "If it's Edith, then that means it can't be Thomas."

"You're right," said Rose, snapping her fingers. "He's innocent."

They looked over to Fred who was looking slightly relieved. He looked up and chose his words carefully. "Regardless, he still left without a trace the morning after a murder took place."

"That's very mature of you," said Charlie proudly.

"What can I say?" said Fred, shrugging his shoulders. "Traveling with the Doctor matures you."

"Another deep comment," smiled Rose. "Our little Fred is growing up!"

"Oh fuck off," laughed Fred as Lady Mary walked in. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head at the darker skinned boy.

"Why is it that I always find you engaging in vulgarity?" asked Lady Mary, not really expecting an explanation. She turned to Charlie. "You rang?"

Charlie hesitated. "We have a suspect, but you won't like who it is."

"Are you sure you want to know?" added Albus. "We can figure out what to do next."

"Well, I have to know now," said Lady Mary. "The suspense alone would kill me."

Charlie hesitated again. "We think it's Edith."

"Horrible as she may be, I do hope you have more proof than that," said Lady Marly calmly.

Rose quickly filled her in on the damning testimony of Beatrice and Mr. Carson. Lady Mary nodded. "That's certainly suspicious. And Edith's been complaining about feeling unwell."

"Which Edith?" asked Fred.

"I suppose that it would make sense for both Ediths to feel unwell," said Lady Mary hesitatingly. "The alien would be adjusting to the body and Edith's body would sense the duplicate."

"We don't know for sure though," said Scorpius. "It's only a lead."

"But it's a solid lead," said Lady Mary. "Good work - I'm sure if the Doctor were here, he would agree."

"Does he often do this?" asked Charlie.

"More than you would think," replied Lady Mary. "Often he needs to only check up on something, but since he's so terrible at piloting the TARDIS, he usually mistimes his arrival. He doesn't mean to be gone for so long."

"I must say, you're taking the fact that you're sister might be being impersonated by an alien quite well," said Albus, changing the subject.

Lady Mary raised an eyebrow. "I am a member of the British aristocracy. We are rather good at keeping our emotions to ourselves."

"You slapped the Doctor when we arrived," Charlie challenged.

"I suppose I did," admitted Lady Mary, somewhat stiffly. "A momentary lapse in judgement. But I thought we were here to discuss my dear sister?"

Rose nodded. "We need to come up with a plan to see if there are two Ediths."

"We could just cast a charm," said Fred. They all looked at him as if he were a genius. Fred humbly looked away from their looks.

"Of course!" moaned Rose. "We're wizards and witches!"

Fred pulled out his wand and pointed it in the air, whispering something under his breath. Nothing happened. Scorpius tried with his wand but nothing happened.

"Our wands aren't working!" exclaimed Rose.

"No shit Sherlock…" muttered Fred.

Lady Mary's eyes flashed but she said nothing. She instead commented on the apparent lack of magic. "I'm no expert on magic obviously, but it's a type of energy, correct?"

"Yes," answered Rose.

"When the TARDIS lands it sometimes sends out a wave of energy. It's why the lights sometimes flicker. Maybe that's why your wands aren't working...," suggested Lady Mary.

They all looked at each other.

"He's back!"

"Of course I'm back, you blubbering baboon!" said the Doctor as he entered the room. "Do try to keep up!"

"Doctor!" cried Charlie, running over to him. "Wait till we tell you what we -"

"Edith did it," said the Doctor. "Yeah, I figured that out. I was on Ganymede, sipping my Arnold Palmer when the sonic went off. I had to run five miles to the TARDIS where the interface decided to tell me that DNA from the morphic residue matched DNA from Edith."

"So what do we do?" asked Lady Mary eagerly. "The sooner this is over with, the better."

"Well, you lot have figured out magic won't work so we need to catch the two Ediths at the same time. Trap them," said the Doctor. "But first, I want you to see someone."

He cleared his throat and somebody opened the door. That somebody was Thomas the under butler. "Hello."


End file.
